TL;DR: Education is about building bridges, with teachers as bridge builders guiding students through their K-12 journey. Bridges need to be built between misunderstanding and understanding, dependence and self-regulation, learning for grades and lifelong learning, illiteracy and civic literacy, and one right answer to adaptability. A whole child education includes academic skills and additional aspects that prepare students for the … Read More
Exploring Your Emotions as an Educator
TL;DR: Are you aware of the emotions present within your classroom environment? Educators are taught to focus on action rather than on feeling the emotions below the surface. The core emotions are fear, anger, sadness, shame, jealousy, disgust, happiness, and love. Identify and unpack emotions so you can take care of yourself. Instead of putting “I am” before a feeling … Read More
Schools These Days
TL;DR: Hans shares a story about how his puppy, Winnie, was demonstrating deregulated behavior on a walk. Remembering his recent conversation with Dr. Carrington, she said we need “connection before direction.” 5 keys to reconnecting are listed below. Relationships and reconnection starts and ends with the adults in our schools. Children need adults to show them how to regulate when … Read More
Ep. 21: Defending EduSpeak | Trevor MacKenzie | Self-Reflection
In Don’t @ Me (2:05) Tom takes aim at those who (wrongly) use the terms like “EduSpeak” or “Buzzword” to refer to important, research-validated processes. Then, Tom is joined by Trevor MacKenzie (10:02) to discuss inquiry-based learning and how to bring more student agency to the classroom. Finally, in Assessment Corner (1:10:03), Tom explores the 4 directions and the 2 … Read More
The Time is NOW to Reframe ‘Misbehavior’
TL;DR: Reframe misbehavior by understanding behaviors may actually be attempts to adapt to stressful situations. We should identify and reduce stressors instead of waiting for them to occur and reacting to them. Gain trust by first demonstrating that YOU are trustworthy. Companioning others through stressful times helps us grow trust, strengthen relationships, and better serve families and communities. Educators devote … Read More